Battle of Marston Moor

The Battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644) was a battle of the First English Civil War. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine and the Marquess of Newcastle.

In the summer of 1644, the Parliamentarians laid siege to the northern city of York, and Prince Rupert of the Rhine gathered forces to raise the siege. The two armies met in battle at Marston Moor, an expanse of wild meadow west of York. Thomas Fairfax led the Parliamentarian infantry, including Scottish soldiers, while Cromwell commanded the 3,000 Parliamentarian cavalrymen. Cromwell led the Parliamentarian attack, striking unexpectedly in the evening. His cavalry came forward in close formation. The attack started well but faltered when Fairfax's infantry was slowed down by marshy ground, and Cromwell was injured during the Royalist counterattack; many Parliamentarian soldiers fled in panic as night fell. The Scots stood firm, however, and Cromwell launched an audacious cavalry counterattack across the battlefield to attack the Royalist horse, putting them to flight before turning on the infantry. With Fairfax's footsoldiers pressing forward, Royalist resistance collapsed.